adjective
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limited; barely enough; meagre
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insufficient; inadequate
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lacking fullness; small
Synonym Usage
Scanty, meager, sparse refer to insufficiency or deficiency in quantity, number, etc. Scanty denotes smallness or insufficiency of quantity, number, supply, etc.: a scanty supply of food. Meager indicates that something is poor, stinted, or inadequate: meager fare; a meager income. Sparse applies particularly to that which grows thinly or is thinly strewn or sown, often over a wide area: sparse vegetation; a sparse population.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of scanty
First recorded in 1650–60; scant + -y 1; scanty ( def. 4 ) blend of scanty and panties
Explanation
We refer to an amount or thing that is not quite enough as scanty, or lacking. It's an adjective used to describe something that doesn't offer enough, as in "farmers having a scanty crop in a drought year." The adjective scanty comes from the Old Norse scamt, which means "short or brief," and so suggests a small amount. The word usually suggests a meager amount, and can refer to anything that is barely sufficient. Someone trying to stretch a meal might offer scanty servings. On a humorous note, a Roaring Twenties flapper referred to her underwear as scanties.
Vocabulary lists containing scanty
On the Origin of Species
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The Bridge Home
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"Declaration of Sentiments," Vocabulary from the public document
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the details were vague or scanty, while China made no formal announcement on any trade deal.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
Much of it was placed underground and reliable analysis on how much they have is scanty, but Shapiro believed the Chinese might have 1.2 billion barrels stockpiled — 104 days of storage.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026
While a few successful experiments had been reported by hobbyists in Australia and Germany, details were scanty.
From Slate • Aug. 19, 2025
The slight and scanty “Drive-Away Dolls” could dissipate with a gust of wind, but it beats a hasty getaway before that becomes a problem.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2024
“A rock path and a scanty one at that. I’m sorry, but I’d have to show you—which means I’d have to come with you. I don’t mind. It’s what a—a friend would do.”
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
